Yuan China Invades Hungary

The Hungarians Hand The Chinese Their Heads

Bob at Essex Warriors wanted another game of DBM today and told me he wanted to try out his Yuan Chinese again. I had fought them back in August 2015 at 500 AP. I decided that since I have not have much in the way of tournament games recently I would reuse my Challenge army from 2016. The Later Hungarians are an interesting army and my list design isn't the usual version you see in tournament play. 

For the previous blogs on the Hungarians go to:

http://drewjarman.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/last-practice-game-before-challenge.html

and also read up the blog on The Challenge 2016.

Peters army consisted of three commands totalling 64 E/ 59 EE/29.5 B

C1 25 E/21 EE/7 D [25% - 5.5 EE]

C2 21 E/ 21 EE/7 D [25% - 5.5 EE]

C3 18 E/ 17 EE/6 D [25% - 4.5 EE]

Set up was unusual in that we were both Cold Ag 2

Aggression rolls were 4+1+2=7 for me and 4+1+5 =10 meaning the battle was going to start at 5 pm with Peter as the invader. The difference of 3 in the Summer meant there was a strong wind which was blowing in the Chinese faces all game.

I tried to get a Waterway but failed meaning that my flanks were at risk so I elected to place a BUA on a 1.5 FE Hill, placed my baggage in the BUA surrounded by the TF I had purchased in the list to protect the baggage. This game me the option to place the BUA in the flank sector and protected that flank. I placed another two areas of boggy RGo. Peter Placed three Half Feature Gentle Hills.

The game proceeded at a reasonable pace and I managed to close up the table at the centre line and prevented Peter from exploiting his superior mobility and get round my flanks.

The first combat was a 6-1 when Peters blades destroyed my right flank warwagon much to my consternation. I threw my Szeklers in and quickly two two elements so had to reinforce them on the right flank to tie down his troops on that side. Pushing forward with my heavy infantry opposite his cavalry line and one of his two bow commands in the centre whilst I lined up the CinC with his knights opposite his other infantry command opposite his ordinary bowmen. 

His bowfire into the wind was totally ineffective and I closed in to attack with the Banderium and promptly bounced off. Stood there for another turn taking fire before going in again. This time I held firm but it would be another three bounds before I finally got the dice rolls to sweep away his bowmen. Nipping around the flanks I killed an odd auxilia that had become isolated meaning that this infantry command was only two elements away from breaking. 

Over on the far left Peter managed to ride down my fast light house from the left wing meaning I was forced to commit the sub-general to fill the hole. Thankfully despite being overlapped and hit in the rear his luck held and I slowly started to punch through the centre. Odd casualties elsewhere finally broke Peters left flank command meaning that I was two elements away from breaking his army. The Armati pulled a cavalry element from the saddle and the last element required to break the army happened when I got an odd auxilia.

All in all a fun game for me and the 10-0 DBM score over 11 pairs of bounds does not show how finely balanced the game was for most of the day. I had to work hard for my 30-2 BHGS win and it reminded me how much I like this army.

Here are the pictures I managed to take during the game. The final picture shows the CinC and Royal Banderium columned up ready to start its attack on the open flank of the second Yuan foot command which proved unnecessary as the army had already broken. I had also managed to filter the Szekler light horse to the rear of the Yuan position and was about to loot his baggage which would have also broken the army.